More About Senegal

For three months, thousands of Senegalese had been living in
and tiptoeing around warm stagnant floodwater. And this had Malick concerned.

You must have the flash player in order to watch this video.

As the head of Catholic Relief Services' health program in
Senegal, Malick Ndome is worried about them.

Because they are his neighbors.

Malick lives in Pikine and he saw firsthand the flooding
this year. It's become a yearly occurrence, as his neighborhood, which is home
to almost 1 million Senegalese, is a former swamp with almost no drainage
systems.

The flooding blocked roads, disrupted garbage pickup and
caused septic tanks to overflow. The mosquito population exploded. The residents
of Pikine moved in with friends or rented expensive apartments. They slept on
roofs and dumped their garbage anywhere they could.

They were forced to adapt to their new conditions: They hiked
up their dresses and pants, held their noses against the stench, and got used
to it.

CRS and our Church partner Caritas decided to help. Malick
led the effort and managed the purchase of water pumps to clear flooded homes, organized
garbage collection and distributed water purification tablets.

Now, after months in water, Pikine is finally drying out
thanks to Malick and CRS.

Lane Hartill is the western and central Africa regional
information officer for Catholic Relief Services. He is based in Dakar,
Senegal.